Delaware County, Pennsylvania public records

Q: How do I look up who owns a property in Delaware County?

Use the property search of the Board of Assessment: http://delcorealestate.co.delaware.pa.us/pt/forms/htmlframe.aspx?mode=content/home.htm

In Delaware County, deeds are recorded by the Recorder of Deeds; property values come from the Board of Assessment; court files are split between the Office of Judicial Support and the Register of Wills & Clerk of Orphans' Court Division.

Last checked against official sources on November 4, 2026.

On this page

Where to get each record
Deeds and land records
Property values, owners and tax bills
Court records: which clerk keeps which case
Marriage records
Divorce records
Birth certificates
Death certificates
Probate records and wills
Business names (DBA)
Voter records
Historical records
Good to know about Delaware County records
Office addresses, phones and hours
Records that are not online: public records requests
Questions people ask
Official copies vs look-alike sites
Sources

Where to get each record

Record	Office	Search online	Fee
Deeds and land records	Recorder of Deeds³	Search deeds²	$0.50 per page online; $1.00 per page in the office³
Property values and owners	Board of Assessment⁴	Property search⁵	—
Property tax bills	Treasurer's Office⁶	—	—
Court cases	Office of Judicial Support⁷ Register of Wills & Clerk of Orphans' Court Division⁸	Court of Common Pleas, 32nd Judicial District⁹ Court of Common Pleas, 32nd Judicial District (criminal) and Magisterial District Courts⁹	Divorce decree copy $1.00; certified copy $6.00 (OJS)¹⁰
Marriage records	Register of Wills & Clerk of Orphans' Court Division⁸	—	—
Divorce records	Office of Judicial Support¹⁰	—	$1.00 copy; $6.00 certified¹⁰
Birth certificates	PA Department of Health, Division of Vital Records (births after 1906)¹²	—	$20 per certified copy (state)¹¹
Death certificates	PA Department of Health (deaths since 1906)¹³	—	$20 per certified copy (state)¹³
Probate and wills	Register of Wills & Clerk of Orphans' Court Division⁸	—	Copy fees: E-copy will $10.00; entire probate & proceeding $15.00; clerk name search $25.00; certified copies $20.00 plus $1.00 per page; exemplified $50.00 plus $1.00 per page¹⁴
Business names (DBA)	PA Department of State (fictitious names), not the county¹⁵	—	—

Deeds and land records

Deeds, mortgages and other land documents for property in Delaware County are recorded by the Recorder of Deeds.³

Online search: delcorodonlineservices.co.delaware.pa.us²
About this search: Recorder of Deeds Online Records and (Cloud Search)²
Who runs it: GovOS (Cloud Search)¹⁶
Years online: 1799 to present³

Copy fee: $0.50 per page online; $1.00 per page in the office³
Certified copy fee: $7.00 certification (4 pages) plus $1.00 each additional page; electronically certified copies $12.50 on Cloud Search¹⁷
How to order: Buy online from either public access site, or in the office (Room 108)¹⁸
Recording fee: Deed: $117.25 total for up to 4 pages, 4 names and 10 folios; $4.00 each additional page¹⁷
Fraud alerts: Free Property Alert email when a document is recorded on your Property ID (via Cloud Search)²
Liens: Only mortgages are recorded as liens at the Recorder; no title searches by staff¹⁸

How deeds work in Pennsylvania

Property values, owners and tax bills

The Board of Assessment sets property values⁴; the Treasurer's Office bills and collects the tax⁶.

Property search: delcorealestate.co.delaware.pa.us/…⁵
Tax bill search: Real Estate Tax System (same portal) and online county tax payment via municipay¹⁹
Parcel map (GIS): Open Data Hub (ArcGIS); parcels and the Real Estate application are maintained by the Board of Assessment²⁰
Appealing a value: Board of Assessment Appeals; signed paper forms only (no fax or e-filing); appeal from the Board to court within 30 days through OJS⁴
Tax certification: $25 written request with folio number; processed within 48 hours²¹

How property tax works in Pennsylvania

Court records: which clerk keeps which case

Court	Cases	Records kept by	Case search
Court of Common Pleas, 32nd Judicial District (civil)	Civil suits, liens, judgments, divorce	Office of Judicial Support (Civil Division)	delcopublicaccess.co.delaware.pa.us C-Track Public Access: civil dockets and judgment index⁹
Court of Common Pleas, 32nd Judicial District (criminal) and Magisterial District Courts	Criminal cases; bail; summary appeals	Office of Judicial Support (Criminal Division)	ujsportal.pacourts.us/CaseSearch Statewide UJS portal, free⁹Free search
Orphans' Court Division	Estates, guardianships, adoptions	Register of Wills & Clerk of Orphans' Court Division	Orphans' Court copies by request (not online)¹⁴

Fees: Divorce decree copy $1.00; certified copy $6.00 (OJS)¹⁰
Consolidation: Office of Judicial Support performs the Clerk of Courts and Prothonotary functions under the Home Rule Charter⁷

Criminal records and background checks

County: Criminal dockets on the UJS portal; OJS Criminal Division holds the files⁷
State: Pennsylvania State Police PATCH²²
Jail: George W. Hill Correctional Facility (county prison)²³
Historic: Criminal case papers 1790-1922 at the County Archives¹²

How Pennsylvania courts keep their files

Marriage records

Kept by the Register of Wills & Clerk of Orphans' Court Division.⁸

Marriage license: Register of Wills by 30-minute appointment; $60.00²⁴
Copies: Order through the Register of Wills E-Commerce Store (e-copy, certified, exemplified); prices not shown in page text¹⁴
Pre: Marriage records 1852-1854 and 1885-1950 at the County Archives¹²

Pennsylvania marriage records, statewide

Divorce records

Kept by the Office of Judicial Support (divorce filings and decrees).¹⁰

Copies: Decree available to anyone by mail with docket number, SASE and money order; full file only for parties and attorneys¹⁰
Fees: $1.00 copy; $6.00 certified¹⁰
Archive: OJS keeps the current year and five prior years on site; older files must be called up from archives¹⁰
Historic: Divorces 1883-1940 at the County Archives¹²

Birth certificates

PA Department of Health, Division of Vital Records (births after 1906)¹²

Fee: $20 per certified copy (state)¹¹
County: County Archives birth registers 1852-1854 and 1893-1906; Chester City 1889-1906¹²

Ordering a Pennsylvania birth certificate

Death certificates

PA Department of Health (deaths since 1906)¹³

Fee: $20 per certified copy (state)¹³
County: County Archives death registers 1852-1854 and 1893-1906 (City of Chester deaths missing)¹²

Ordering a Pennsylvania death certificate

Probate records and wills

Kept by the Register of Wills & Clerk of Orphans' Court Division.⁸

Copy fees: E-copy will $10.00; entire probate & proceeding $15.00; clerk name search $25.00; certified copies $20.00 plus $1.00 per page; exemplified $50.00 plus $1.00 per page¹⁴
Historic: Wills 1789-1945 and Orphans' Court estate files 1789-1950 at the County Archives¹²

Business names (DBA)

PA Department of State (fictitious names), not the county¹⁵

Voter records

Kept by Delco Votes! (Bureau of Elections / Voter Service Center).²⁵

Info: Delco Votes! county elections website²⁵

Historical records

Archives: County Archives: administrative records 1789-1950 with online name indexes (wills, estates, naturalizations 1795-1990, civil and criminal cases, assessments)¹²
Fees: $1.00 per copier page in house; mail requests $10.00 minimum (1-10 pages), then $1.00 per page; no credit cards¹²
Deeds not in archives: Recorder of Deeds records are not held by the Archives¹²

Good to know about Delaware County records

Delaware County has no Prothonotary or Clerk of Courts: under the Home Rule Charter both are merged into the Office of Judicial Support.⁷
Deed records date to 1789, the year the county was founded; online copies cover 1799 to present and cost half the in-office price.³
Death registers for the City of Chester (1893-1906) are missing from the County Archives.¹²
Chester City replaced its property registration form and $10 fee with a 1.5% transfer tax on September 1, 2023.³
The 2026-27 Common Level Ratio for Delaware County is 1.83 for documents dated 7/1/2026 or later.³
The Register of Wills opened free online searching of marriage and probate indexes on August 15, 2020.¹⁴
Naturalization records 1795-1990 are indexed at the County Archives.¹²
A February 28, 2024 Court of Common Pleas order bars the County Health Department from environmental health service in 13 municipalities, which affects where those inspection records are held.²⁶

Office addresses, phones and hours

Recorder of Deeds

Address: Government Center, Room 108, 201 W. Front Street, Media, PA 19063³
Phone: 610-891-4152³
Hours: Office 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.; recording 8:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m.³
Website: delcopa.gov/recorder-deeds³

Board of Assessment

Address: Government Center, Ground Floor, 201 W. Front St., Media, PA 19063⁴
Mail: Board of Assessment & Appeals, Government Center Building, 201 West Front Street, Media, PA 19063⁴
Phone: 610-891-4273; assessors 610-891-4891⁴
Hours: 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.⁴
Website: delcopa.gov/treasurer/boa⁴

Treasurer's Office

Address: Government Center, Ground Floor, 201 W. Front St., Media, PA 19063⁶
Mail: Delaware County Treasurer's Office, 201 W. Front Street, Media, PA 19063²¹
Phone: 610-891-4273⁶
Hours: 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.¹⁹
Website: delcopa.gov/treasurer⁶

Office of Judicial Support (Criminal Division)

Replaces the Clerk of Courts

Address: Government Center, Room 127, 201 W. Front St., Media, PA 19063⁷
Phone: 610-891-4370⁷
Email: [email protected] (file room)⁷
Website: delcopa.gov/ojs⁷

Office of Judicial Support (Civil Division)

Replaces the Prothonotary

Address: Government Center, Room 127, 201 W. Front St., Media, PA 19063⁷
Mail: Office of Judicial Support, Civil Filing Room, 201 West Front Street, Media, PA 19063¹⁰
Phone: 610-891-4370⁷
Email: [email protected] (e-filing)⁷
Website: delcopa.gov/ojs⁷

Register of Wills & Clerk of Orphans' Court Division

Address: Government Center, 201 W. Front Street, Media, PA 19063⁸
Phone: 610-891-4400 (probate 610-891-4419; Orphans' Court 610-891-5408)⁸
Email: [email protected]⁸
Hours: Monday-Friday 8:30 a.m.-4:00 p.m.⁸
Website: delcopa.gov/row⁸

Office of Judicial Support (divorce filings and decrees)

Address: Government Center, Room 127, 201 W. Front St., Media, PA 19063⁷
Mail: Office of Judicial Support, Civil Filing Room, 201 West Front Street, Media, PA 19063¹⁰
Phone: 610-891-4324 or 610-891-4370¹⁰
Website: delcopa.gov/…¹⁰

County Clerk (clerk to County Council)

Address: Government Center, Room 202A, 201 W. Front Street, Media, PA 19063²⁷
Phone: 610-891-4260²⁷
Website: delcopa.gov/clerk²⁷

Sheriff's Office

Address: Courthouse, Room 101, 201 W. Front St., Media, PA 19063²⁸
Phone: 610-891-4296²⁸
Website: delcopa.gov/sheriff²⁸

Delco Votes! (Bureau of Elections / Voter Service Center)

Address: Voter Service Center, ground floor of the Government Center, Media²⁵
Phone: Election Hotline (610) 891-VOTE²⁵
Website: delcopa.gov/vote²⁵

Office of Data & Mapping Innovation (parcels are kept by the Board of Assessment)

Address: 2 W Baltimore Ave, Suite 202, Media, PA 19063²⁰
Phone: (610) 871-3899²⁰
Email: [email protected]²⁰
Hours: Monday-Friday 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m.²⁰
Website: delcopa.gov/odmi²⁰

Delaware County Archives (Information Technology)

Address: 340 North Middletown Road, Building 19, Lima, PA (Fair Acres complex)¹²
Mail: 201 W. Front St., Media, PA 19063, ATTN: Archives¹²
Phone: 610-892-9179¹²
Email: [email protected]¹²
Hours: Monday-Friday 9:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.¹²
Website: delcopa.gov/…¹²

Records that are not online: public records requests

Request page: delcopa.gov/open-records²⁶
Where to send it: Open Records Officer Leah Lewis; JustFOIA portal delcopa.justfoia.com/…²⁶
Fees: Per the PA Office of Open Records official fee schedule; viewing can be arranged at no charge²⁶
Rules: U.S. residents only; no anonymous requests; mailing address required²⁶
Courts: Courts have a separate Right to Know form²⁹

How to write a public records request

Questions people ask

How do I get a copy of a deed in Delaware County?

The Recorder of Deeds keeps deed records. To order copies: Buy online from either public access site, or in the office (Room 108). Plain copies: $0.50 per page online; $1.00 per page in the office. Certified copies: $7.00 certification (4 pages) plus $1.00 each additional page; electronically certified copies $12.50 on Cloud Search.³¹⁸¹⁷

How do I look up who owns a property in Delaware County?

Use the property search of the Board of Assessment: delcorealestate.co.delaware.pa.us/…⁵

Official copies vs look-alike sites

A certified copy comes only from the office that holds the record; reports and "research copies" sold by commercial sites are not issued by any Delaware County office. How to tell an official record source from a paid look-alike.

Other counties in Pennsylvania with a full guide: Adams County, Allegheny County, Beaver County, Berks County, Blair County, Bucks County, Butler County, Cambria County, Centre County, Chester County, Clearfield County, Crawford County, Cumberland County, Dauphin County, Erie County, Fayette County, Franklin County, Lackawanna County, Lancaster County, Lawrence County, Lebanon County, Lehigh County, Luzerne County, Lycoming County, Mercer County, Monroe County, Montgomery County, Northampton County, Northumberland County, Philadelphia County, Washington County, Westmoreland County, York County. Every county in the state: Pennsylvania county list. Looking for another Delaware County? Delaware County, Indiana; Delaware County, Ohio.

Sources

Every fact above links to the official page it comes from; all 30 sources were checked on November 4, 2026. Fees and rules change, so check the office's own page before you pay or travel.

Government Units List 2026US Census Bureau
Recorder of Deeds - Public Access SitesDelaware County, Pennsylvania
Recorder of DeedsDelaware County, Pennsylvania
Board of AssessmentDelaware County, Pennsylvania
Delaware County Pennsylvania Public Access System (assessment property records)Delaware County, Pennsylvania
Treasurer's OfficeDelaware County, Pennsylvania
Office of Judicial SupportDelaware County, Pennsylvania
Register of Wills & Clerk of Orphans' Court DivisionDelaware County, Pennsylvania
Public AccessDelaware County, Pennsylvania
Divorce Information (Office of Judicial Support)Delaware County, Pennsylvania
Ordering a Birth CertificatePennsylvania Department of Health, Division of Vital Records
Delaware County ArchivesDelaware County, Pennsylvania
Ordering a Death CertificatePennsylvania Department of Health, Division of Vital Records
Online Ordering of Copies (Register of Wills)Delaware County, Pennsylvania
Fictitious NamesPennsylvania Department of State, Bureau of Corporations and Charitable Organizations
Sign Up for GovOS Property Alerts (PDF)Delaware County, Pennsylvania
Recorder of Deeds of Delaware County Fee Schedule (PDF)Delaware County, Pennsylvania
Recorder of Deeds - Frequently Asked QuestionsDelaware County, Pennsylvania
Pay County TaxesDelaware County, Pennsylvania
Office of Data & MappingDelaware County, Pennsylvania
Tax CertificationDelaware County, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania Access To Criminal History (PATCH) homePennsylvania State Police
Prison (George W. Hill Correctional Facility)Delaware County, Pennsylvania
Marriage Licenses & RecordsDelaware County, Pennsylvania
Delco Votes!Delaware County, Pennsylvania
Government Open RecordsDelaware County, Pennsylvania
County ClerkDelaware County, Pennsylvania
Sheriff's OfficeDelaware County, Pennsylvania
Delaware County Court of Common PleasDelaware County, Pennsylvania
County population totals: Vintage 2025 (July 1, 2025)US Census Bureau